Growth roils Mount Vernon politics - Westfair Communications

The candidates for mayor of Mount Vernon laid out their priorities for helping the local business community during chamber of commerce forum last week.

Incumbent Mayor Ernest Davis will be squaring off in a Democratic primary Sept. 18 against county Legislator Clinton Young. The winner of that will face Republican candidate Janet Whitney Snyder.

Much of the election narrative thus far has been about development, or lack thereof, in Mount Vernon.

Young has often contended that not enough development has occurred over the last 13 years of Davis”™ tenure, and that the city is mismanaged. He continued that criticism at the chamber forum.

“One thing that is lacking here is a plan, a true plan for growth, development and success” he said. “We haven”™t even had a master plan here since 1962.”

Young touted his record as a county legislator representing Mount Vernon, saying he has brought “millions and millions” of dollars into the city to help it grow.

Davis, however, pointed to the development on Sandford Boulevard several years ago that brought big-box stores, including Best Buy and Target, into the city.

Davis also pointed to the plans to develop the downtown area near the Metro-North train station.

Three developers, Leyland Alliance L.L.C., Mountco Development Corp. and Mount Vernon Renaissance L.L.C. submitted proposals to redevelop the site around the train station. All of the proposals consist of some mix of commercial, retail and residential space.

Young has questioned the timing of the announcement of the redevelopment, in the middle of election season.

Snyder painted herself as a political outsider, who is a successful entrepreneur that could manage the city with business acumen.

“I am not a career politician,” she said. “I have always been in the private sector.”

Snyder, the chairwoman of the city GOP committee, is the director of corporate development for Greyhawk Construction Managers & Consultants.

She said she would be able to attract business and development to the city because “I know how to sell Mount Vernon to the outside world.”

Snyder said her candidacy offered “another choice” to her two higher-profile and well-funded candidates.

“I am someone who knows business, and I will run Mount Vernon like a business,” she said.

Contrary to the other two candidates Davis said he would not run the city like a business.

“I think the worst thing you can do is run government like a business,” he said.

Responding to Young”™s criticism that the city has not had a master plan for more than 40 years, Davis said, “a master plan is not relevant to the success of a city.”

Davis argued that the city is already on the right path.

“There is $262 million of development either approved or under construction in Mount Vernon right now,” he said.